Keiji Inafune Stays Ahead of the Game

Keiji Inafune Stays Ahead of the Game

From CAPCOM to comcept

Keiji Inafune has been named one of the top 10 game creators in the world. The video game concept developer and designer had a stellar 23-year career at CAPCOM as head of the production, research & development and online development divisions. He oversaw over 900 employees and produced over 60 game titles including CAPCOM’s bestselling hits Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Lost Planet and Onimusha. In 2010, he went on to found comcept Inc. and in 2013 the company successfully raised over $4 million in funding from 70,000 backers through Kickstarter for his newest project, the Mighty No. 9. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie met with Keiji Inafune at Anime Expo 2014 in Los Angeles to find out more about this innovator.

TJ: How did you end up joining the game industry?

INAFUNE: I’ve always loved anime, manga and illustration. I studied art in school, and tried to think of what career I could pursue as an artist. I was interested in the idea of video game character design, which was a pretty novel idea at the time. I entered the industry as a designer, but I also enjoyed the game creation aspect, eventually becoming a producer myself.

TJ: Could you give us a simple rundown of the game creation process?

INAFUNE: Everything starts from a single idea we call the concept. Planners and artists expand on this idea; building it into a design. Next, we create a game prototype that lets us experience both the concept and the design. We play it, test it, and if the game seems interesting we proceed to development.

TJ: What aspect of this process do you participate in personally?

INAFUNE: All of the games created by my company come from my ideas and concepts. I’m involved in the whole process from start to finish, checking each milestone such as the designs and prototypes.

TJ: What’s been the most challenging aspect of the game industry in recent years? What hurdles do you face?

INAFUNE: Wrestling with costs. With a fair sum of money you can make a good product, but the risks increase with the costs. You have to strike a good balance, but that’s easier said than done. If you try to play it safe, you just end up making a sequel to some famous series. When that happens you’re putting money up, but you can’t call that a true challenge. From the beginning, the challenge lies in making something new.

TJ: What’s your favorite game, and could you tell us why?

INAFUNE: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I don’t enjoy role-playing games (RPG) that much, but I had a great time with this game. This is a game that has all the fun of an action game, the appeal of an RPG-like story, and the breadth to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. It’s become a game cherished by gamers the world over, a feat I feel that only Shigeru Miyamoto could accomplish.

TJ: Of all the game projects you’ve participated in, which game are you most proud of?

INAFUNE: I’m proud of all the games I’ve been a part of, but if I had to choose it’d be the original Mega Man. The series has been around for 25 years now, and I was there from the beginning. Even 25 years later, when I attend events overseas, I’m often told how much people love Mega Man – how it was the first game they played, and so on. I’m proud to have been able to make a game that’s stood the test of time, and is still loved around the world even to this day.

TJ: Please tell us about the projects you’re working on now.

INAFUNE: Of our announced projects, the one I’m putting the most into is Mighty No. 9: the project we funded through Kickstarter, accruing $4 million in funding from 70,000 backers. This game is near and dear to me. It is a classic 2-D sidescroller with modern technology, crafted together with people I have collaborated with in the past. I always wanted to make a game we thought was interesting, one that would be fun to make, and to make it together with the fans. I was never able to do it in the past, and now I finally can.

INAFUNE: Simply put, it’s the cultivation of young creative talent. I’ve said it before in other interviews, but the bulk of the Japanese game industry is manned by creators in their 40s and 50s, and I suppose this older generation can carry the torch for quite a while. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that alone hinders the evolution of the medium. All creators want to supply their users with new, fresh game experiences, but slower evolution means slower generation of such new games. As a result, the game industry as a whole is slow to grow. Raising fresh talent is necessary for both the enjoyment of the fans and the growth of the industry itself, and Inafune-juku is my way of doing something about that.

TJ: What’s the best shortcut to enter the games industry? What’s the most important skill?

INAFUNE: Curiosity. This is an imperative skill for making your way in this industry. Curiosity towards a variety of things lets you take on new challenges, and curiosity is the most important and necessary skill in the search for innovation.

TJ: What are your goals looking forward?

INAFUNE: This may come across as negative, but I’m thinking about retirement. This isn’t something I can do yet, however. For example, were my son to join a game company, carry on my beliefs and continue the creative process, I could retire in peace. But that’s not a reality yet, and I’m also involved in activities such as Inafune-juku. My dream is to see young creators in their 20s and 30s becoming more active and start making their own waves. We shouldn’t expect too much from the works of aging creators.

TJ: How do you feel the game industry will change in the future?

INAFUNE: The game industry will become progressively more global. Japan seems uneducated in worldly matters, but looking at other countries on an international scale, Japan is actually becoming quite globalized. Look at the games sweeping the world, such as Clash of Clans. How are games like that being sold around the world? How do you make a game sell in completely different markets? Such consideration is essential, and I feel like Japan is behind the times in this aspect.

TJ: Do you have any words of advice for those aiming to become game developers?

INAFUNE: Game development isn’t that complicated. You can make your way with a mix of passion and patience; you certainly won’t succeed in this industry by taking it easy, no matter where you go in the world. If you have the resolve, your passion will back up that resolution. I’d like all of you to pursue game development with passion in your hearts. tj

The original article can be found in Issue #276 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.

Dr. Anthony Al-Jamie lived and worked as an educational administrator and journalist in Tokyo for over 20 years. His in-depth understanding of Japanese language and culture has allowed him to carry out interviews with many of the most renowned individuals in Japan. He first began writing for the Tokyo Journal in the 1990s as Education Editor, later he was promoted to Senior Editor, and eventually International Editor. He currently works in higher education publishing and serves the Tokyo Journal as Executive Editor.